By Margaret Maccoll
After 30 years working as a Barrister in Brisbane and almost a decade on the Queensland building tribunal Barry Cotterell was well placed to become a defender of the Peregian Beach community.
Last week he stepped down from his role as president but his involvement and legal advice will continue.
Barry sat down this week with Noosa Today in one of his favourite spots, Peregian Village square, to talk about some of the highlights of his role over almost 30 years.
Before Barry and his wife, Susan, also a solicitor, moved to the area permanently in 2008 they bought a property in 1994 and became ensconced in the community.
In 1996 a battle was raged between the community and a development application to build an 8-storey high rise opposite what is now Victory Park.
Barry and Sue lodged a Freedom of Information notice with then Maroochy Council and discovered they had been misreading their own town plan for about 10 years. They hadn’t counted the basement as a storey.
Council accepted the findings, the development was downgraded from 29 to 15 units and the developer withdrew his application.
It was a victory for the community and the victors wrote to council to request the park opposite the proposed development be named Victory Park.
“They didn’t ask victory over what,” Barry said. “It was victory over the council.”
Having gathered a number of community members together they decided to incorporate their group. Barry and Sue drew up the legal work and the South Peregian Beach Community Association was born.
It was the first of many battles for the organisation. The next was to bring the southern third of Peregian which was then in the Maroochy Shire into the Noosa Shire.
A survey showed the people supported the move and the Council said they’d consider it, Barry said. But with $1 million a year in rates going their way and spending in the area closer to $40,000 they weren’t keen.
In 2004 the group was successful in its lobbying to be included in Noosa Shire and the Association changed its name to Peregian Beach Community Association (PBCA).
Only a couple of years later the two councils amalgamated.
“We got out of their clutches only to get back in,” Barry said. It’s not surprising PBCA was an active participant in the push for the de-amalgamation of the Noosa Shire that occurred in 2014.
In 2010 PBCA members were instrumental in working with Council to build and establish the Peregian Beach Community House. In 2014 they worked with Council to develop a master plan for the Rufous street precinct after fighting off a developer’s proposal to build a supermarket on site.
Barry said the two-storey proposal to be located only six feet back from David Low Way would have had a supermarket on the top floor, car park below with no means to carry shopping to the car park. But what stopped the development was a plan to construct a roundabout or lights at the intersection of Woodlands Drive and David Low Way. PCBA determined it wouldn’t fit without resuming properties.
“I made the case and gave it to Council,” Barry said. “The developer packed up and went home.”
One of the longest running issues for PBCA has been the site of the former Caravan Park. For more than 10 years since its closure the developer has made numerous development applications that have met with opposition but finally culminated in a settlement reached on day nine of the trial in the Environment and Planning Court in October, 2018 determining the balance of the site left after the IGA development would be used for visitor accommodation. PBCA fought long and hard, with residents contributing about $40,000 as well as many volunteer hours, worked with Council, to achieve an outcome that was compliant with the Noosa Plan and kept Rufous Street closed to access from the development.There are elements of the battles that Barry relishes, particularly when it involves dispute resolution in which he is well experienced.
“I like the mental challenge and the legal challenge,” he said.
“You have a limited ability when someone is saying black is white, when you want to resolve something.
“Our interest is a better community, their interest is more money.”
Another aspect of the association is its environmental work, ridding the dunes of rubbish, weeding and regenerating. Over the years the group has amassed about $300,000 in grants for this work.
Barry admits the hands-on bush work is something he’s not particularly fond of though he says there is some satisfaction to be gained from removing the long runners of the weed Singapore Daisy.
While Barry has decided to step back from the president’s role there are plenty of issues Barry is interested in pursuing, one being a proposal he put to Council to have developers cover the legal costs of appealing development applications that do not comply with the planning scheme and have been refused.
Noosa Council took the proposal to the Local Government Association and member voted in favour of it. “It pays to be proactive rather than reactive,” he said.
Another issue of interest to him is the initiation of a loop bus between Peregian Beach, Springs and Breeze to reduce the increasing traffic congestion parking shortage in the village.Barry is also on the sustainable tourism board and cycling, walking path committee and is an avid cycler.
When it’s possible the Cotterells would like to do some more travelling.
The role of president of PBCA has been taken on by Marian Kroon who has stepped into the role from vice-president.
